Welcome! I'm new here too and didn't know how to go about raising chickens before coming here. I did a lot of lurking before finally deciding to join. Read a couple of books too.
You are going to get a ton of info here. Lots of great people here too.
Greetings from CT! your post reminded me alot of my husband and I. We converted and old shed in the back to our coop. Its still a work in progress, but what a fun and exciting project! Just got our chicks in April and they have grown so much! enjoy!